Jordan Ayan, CEO of SubscriberMail, one of the country's leading email marketing service providers shares thoughts on marketing using technology, email marketing and whatever else catches his fancy.

Service

October 11, 2009

First of all, to all readers of this blog - I apologize for not having posted in a while. I took a sabbatical, and what little writing I have done was for the SubscriberMail blog. This being said, I also don't believe in writing when I am not feeling so motivated. A blog without a point is blather.

He was a man who was able to predict trends and foresaw the growth of Japanese tourism after World War 2, and saw opportunity in selling duty free liquor and cars to military personnel returning from duty overseas. He also seemed to be an extremely creative individual who knew how to build a business empire by finding the cracks of opportunity that exist everywhere and really taking advantage of them.

What makes him different (and worthy of an outstanding book) is that he decided to give away his entire fortune anonomyously (at least until now). For several years, Forbes had him on their list of the top 400 wealthiest individuals in the world (yet he had donated it all to his foundation).

In this day and age where so many beleive that the government has to step in and solve all the problems by taxing business and implementing what has the potential of turning into a socialist economy, Feeney proves that businesses in and of their own can contribute significantly to address our social ills (others have done this too over the ages, and continue to today).

Feeney was inspired by an essay written by steel Barron Andrew Carnegie published in 1889 titled Wealth. It as inspired essay, and I urge everyone to read it no matter what their current financial status is. The basic concept is that it is better for a person to give their wealth away during their lifetime to ensure that the legacy they leave is that which they want it to be. By bequeathing it to relatives, or to a charitable institution removes it from the control of the individual who earned it. A very intersting principle and I strongly suggest reading both the essay and the book.

May 13, 2008

I am in Columbia Missouri this week for an exciting occasion. My daughter is graduating from The University of Missouri (I’m one proud father). Anyway, the trip necessitated a stay in a local hotel. Having visited her numerous times, we knew what the area had to offer, and opted to try a brand new Hilton Garden Inn that had just opened on the outskirts of town.

By today’s road warrior travel standards, it was pretty nice. Free Internet, breakfast, coffee in the room,
soap, shampoo, an alarm clock. But the alarm clock is where it got oddly strange. At about 10:30 PM, when my wife and I were ready to turn in, I looked at the alarm clock and it said 5:20AM. So I looked at the clock for the “set time” function and could not find it. So I called my daughter over, the new college graduate (figuring she would be pretty smart) and she could not figure it out either. It was easy to set the alarm, but there did not seem to be a way to set the time. In frustration, I called the front desk.

I simply said, “could you tell me how to set the time on the alarm clock in my room?” His response was, “you can’t, it is sealed for your protection.” He told me he would be happy to come up with the tools required to reset the time if I wanted or, he could arrange for a wake-up call. I told him that this was pretty ridiculous. I think he somewhat agreed, and had grown tired of telling clients that they could not set their own alarm clocks.

What am I being protected from? My guess is the hotel is hoping no one will steal an alarm clock they can’t set (although the time has to be off in order for someone to figure that out, so a thief probably would not realize this until after they had stolen it and taken it home). Sometimes we do things in business that are designed to serve our own best interest (not the customer’s) and then try to disguise it with some lame explanation that does nothing but frustrate a user or consumer even more. Put as much control in the hands of the customer as you can (especially when it comes to setting their own alarm clock).

March 04, 2008

If you read my earlier post about customer service at ProFlowers, and the great way they handled it when they goofed on one of my orders, there is an update. Today, I received the following:

The Art of Fresher Flowers' is not just a motto, it's our mission. That's why we want to take this opportunity to offer our most sincere apologies that the bouquet you sent did not meet your standards - or ours. Our goal is to ensure every last bud, leaf, and stem is delivered just-picked-this-moment fresh, and while mistakes will occur with such a fragile and perishable product, we very much regret that we failed to live up to your expectations.

We hope you'll give us a second chance. To make your next purchase with us even better, we'd like to give you 20% off your next ProFlowers order*.

As you know, all of the bouquets at ProFlowers are delivered direct from the fields to guarantee freshness, which is why we offer a refund or replacement, no questions asked, if you are not completely happy. We are able to offer our unique 7-Day Freshness Guarantee as a result of our comprehensive three-point Quality Assurance Program, including:

Careful screening of our growers to ensure the quality of their flowers meets our uncompromising standards, Thorough inspection of our flowers to confirm each one meets strict criteria for appearance, quality, size, freshness, and vase life,Continuous research to find innovations in flower foods, flower heredity, environmental acceptance, packaging and shipping processes, and other areas,We put the same care into our flowers and plants as you do in selecting them for friends and family. And, with your 20% discount, why wait? You can browse our current selection of fresh flowers and plants, including seasonal favorites, by clicking here.

Or, save your 20% discount for a special event or holiday - it's your discount to use anytime in the next month, so be sure to save this link!

February 23, 2008

In keeping with my post yesterday about retail and the importance of adding value, I wanted to post
about another retail experience. I am visiting Columbia Missouri, and had an opportunity to go to a grocery store that is part of the Hy-Vee chain. It is amazing to see how stores selling groceries can go to great lengths to differentiate themselves if they want to.

As you walk through the doors at Hy-Vee, the first thing that hits you is how bright and clean the store is. Then you realize part of the cleanliness comes from the level of order. Everything is organized and well displayed. The produce department displays are practically works of art. The facing on shelves of caned goods are near perfect. The display of Easter candy looks like the dream of the plan-o-gram designer at Hershey’s.

Hy-Vee is not the first supermarket I have visited that is like this. There are a few standouts in the field that I’ve visited over the years. Harris-Teeter in the South, Gelson’s in Southern California, Bashas’ in Arizona, and of course Trader Joe’s. The difference in all of these stores in my mind is three fold. Quality, care, and marketing though adding value in a variety of different ways.

At Hy-Vee for example, the meat department has a broad array of high quality meat including organic and prepared foods. The produce department has your standard vegetables, but a broad array of unusual fruits and veggies that you won’t find in most markets, plus many items that are washed and prepared ready-to-eat.

These stores prove that no matter what you sell or what you do, you can differentiate your business and stand out in a crowded market. It is also interesting to note that Hy-Vee is employee owned, Bashas’ is family owned. There is something to be said for the pride of ownership.

February 22, 2008

Sometimes the impact the web is having on the world of retail is painfully obvious. I haven’t been in aCircuit City in some time, and based on my experience today, my guess is that neither have too many other consumers. Great web experiences at web sites like Amazon,B & H Photo and many others turned this big box electronics retailer into a sad looking shadow of its former self.

If you look at the pictures that I took, you can see that the store is no longer filled with the latest and greatest electronics gadgets. In fact, the only real reason I could figure a consume might want to venture there is to see how a particular televison looked, or to hear a set of speakers (my guess is then many shoppers might actually purchase it elsewhere). There was no one with any knowledge to help you. The display’s were sad and falling down. In a word, Circuit City has done nothing to add any value to a trip into the store.

This does not have to be the case for retail in the digital age. In fact digital and retail can easily go hand in hand. One of the stellar examples in this category is Abt Electronics (full disclosure, SubscriberMail handles distribution of Abt’s email marketing messages). If you ever are in the Chicago area, make time to visit their retail location. It is a case study in value-added retail sales done right. They have
partnered with many of their manufacturers to create world-class display areas where you can see appliances and electronics in action. Every time I go in the store, it is expanding. It is a fun place to visit, you almost don’t want to leave. Their web site, and electronic communications is top notch too.

So, the digital road will be littered with the bones of the likes of the Circuit Cities (I don’t give them long). Visit their web site, and even that is complicated. The retail future belongs to the brick and mortar value add retailers like the Abt’s and the innovators on the web like the Amazon’s. Where does your company play?

Sometimes marketing doesn't matter. If your product sucks, all the marketing in the world can't fix it. I traveled this weekend with my family on United Airlines. I have been an extremely loyal United customer for a long time. I have flown over a million miles with them (I know this because they were so happy that they sent me a little plastic card that said so...along with two upgrades --wow --). I have been loyal during good times and bad whether it was labor issues, restructures, lost luggage, you name it.

Well this weekend, our flight involved two aircraft. The first a 777, and the second a 757. Both planes are pretty standard on most of the major airlines around the world. The 777 flight went well. In fact I must say, the flight crew was probably one of the nicest I've encountered in some time. On the second plane, the flight crew was fine, but the plane was ready for the scrap yard. There was grime around the seat areas (you know where you pull the trays out) that was caked on. Plastic parts were cracked and broken. Everything on the plane was either dirty, old or broken. One of the TV monitors didn't work, so part of the plane could not see the movie. Some of us, could see the movie, but the sound system would short out, so we couldn't hear it. The john's looked like Porta-Pottys at the end of a long outdoor concert (and somehow had become permanently stained blue by that blue water they use). We were on a five hour flight, so is it too much to ask for clean pillows and blankets? I think you get the picture - the plane sucked.

So what is my point. United Airlines has a huge marketing department and spends millions on advertising and promotion. Living in Chicago hardly a day passes that I am not exposed to the company at least a dozen times. All the marketing was undone in a single flight, because despite marketing's best efforts, the experience failed to deliver. During the trip my wife and I decided next time, we are going to try another carrier (so much for Mr. Loyal 1 Million Mile Flyer).

So, ask yourself a simple question. Does your customer's experience with your product align with your marketing? Unless the user experience far exceeds your marketing claims (in which case you are hurting yourself), you should probably change one or the other. My suggestion, improve the experience, and your business is likely to grow.

Syndication

Books I'm reading

Brian Selznick: The Invention of Hugo CabretThis is an absolutely gorgeous, stunning, book. The illustrations are some of the best I have ever seen in any book, and the author marries the story with the images in a very creative and unusual way. This was a TED book club selection. (*****)